Hey campers! This week following christmas, I was determined to clear out the backlog before the new year. Didn't quite make it, but I did knock out inks on 20 chibis today! They will be sent over to Kristina for flatting and I'll have them shaded/ highlighted very soon! I had 8 to sketch out this morning and then put them with 12 others on a canvas and inked them all afternoon. Was a blast! Just rockin out and slinging inks! Its actually made me re-think my production method/ approach a bit come the new year. Maybe this form of mass production will help me with one of my new year resolutions! These were all done in Inkscape from sketch to finished inks. Will be colored soon!

Today is the final day of using !16 for my signature. Here is to 2017 and the new signature :) 2016 was a challenging year full of budding opportunity and personal growth, but there was a lot of crap in it that I could have done without or would like to return to the store so to speak.

Heres to a clean slate, a new beginning and a new year!

Some of my goals/ ambitions going into the new year:

- Get back on a webcomic of my own every week.

- Keep up with demand/ work loads! Work those late hours to make it happen!

-Live healthier

-Live happier

-Worry less

-Exercise more

-Sculpt more sculpts

-Fix up those little things that need fixed up around the house

-Take better care of our truck.

What are you striving to achieve or improve on in the new year?

Have an awesome and safe weekend and new year's eve and see everyone in 2017!

I'm proud of my piece and had a lot of fun working on it. I can see a few things, now looking at everybody elses, that made the pieces moving onto the next round more applicable. More movement, more interaction between the characters more energy. Most more upbeat or at least more emotion one way or another. I didn't realize it before but my piece is very stoic 'batman on a gargoyle' kind of portrayal. I also think I could have adjusted the horns and maybe the snout of the griffin character to be more on-model. Little things like that.

All in all it was a fun experience. I really enjoyed the challenge and its satisfying enough on its own to have followed through, finished the piece and submitted it for the contest. I look forward to doing more of these.

Speaking of which, I'm hoping to finish an entry for the Megadeth Christmas Card art contest this month in the next week or two so stay tuned for that. I once again believe I have a solid idea, and can put in a good contender.

The final 10 contestants are now subject to public voting. I put in my vote for the piece I honestly think is the best out of all 10, and hope ErikPaints wins :) But good luck to all and early congrats to whoever gets picked for the final 3. Lets here it for those who did an amazing job regardless but didn't make it in the top 10 like me. Good game, good game.

On this day, seven years ago, I wrapped up my first pencil illustration of HellBoy, a fanart drawing that I attempted to sell on eBay for $10 dollars. The business model for the then called EWGraphics was simple. Draw 4-5 pencil pieces, whether it be my own original artworks or commissioned pieces, and sell them to customers via eBay. I shipped whatever I sold every Friday. This simple but honest attempt at generating my own work in a climate where nobody wanted to hire led to a brand and body of work that evolved with every year that went by. Now thousands of artworks and seven years have come and gone, and the evolution continues. The first 5 years saw growth and refinement that continues to this day. Read the '5 Year Journey' series for those first 5 years. In this post, I am looking at the last year and the view ahead.

While most of 2014-2015 saw me in the role as a comic artist juggling 5-6 different comic gigs at any given time, 2015-2016 saw all but one of those run their course, and me starting the new year with literally no substantial clients on retainer. After much leg work following up with large clients and potential new comic jobs, there was little to no result. I got by with weekly slot commissions to fill gaps in the income and relied on one or two large clients to keep it going week to week. A new direction was needed.

It felt like I was back at the very beginning again. I had years of design-heavy work and comic-heavy work and years full of variety. The business was flourishing. Then it felt like I was suddenly back in 2009. Nobody was commissioning me to work no matter who I contacted or how much I advertised. As a wise man once said, "as doors close, so too do new ones open." I had one very important door open in February of 2016 thanks to a friend and colleague over at twitch.tv/2dorkstv.

I had been doing late-night sketch streams on Livestream and Picarto to supplement my comic work the year before. I'd do it at night so it would not interfere with the daily grind of the comic assembly lines. But in February 2016, I was nudged by Steve at 2dorks to checkout twitch and see the many additional benefits it offered compared to services I had been using. My streaming life was changed forever. There was a whole world of creative people to meet and interact with, and I could run my stream with the possibility of donations and other fun interaction abilities with viewers and chatters. After several months of experimenting with the format, soon the Drawing Request Show was born.

Almost a year later we have now hit 420 followers, and have gone from streaming two nights a week to every afternoon. Eryck Webb Graphics now makes more from the live streaming commissions ('requests') than from any other source. Customers are able to come out, watch the stream, win free drawings, donate to request commission sketches and even upgrade to finished inked and colored pieces. The latest additions to the stream include drawing-based games for prizes and a drawing-lesson segment where everyone can learn the basics of how Eryck draws.

Since October 2016 the workload has been at such a fevered pace that the acceptance of commissions outside of the stream is on a temporary case-by-case basis. The streaming itself has helped bring in commission and design work off stream as well. All in all it has opened up a lot of opportunities I never would have had to meet and be inspired by new artists and work for individuals who I would not have been able to meet otherwise. A year in and I'm still learning as I go. I constantly update and make changes to improve the stream and keep it fresh. As the business moves into a more streaming setup, I look forward to seeing what else is to come.

The way this business changes every year, next year I might just be drawing mascots and not even streaming. Who knows? If I've learned anything in these 7 years of working for myself, it is that anything is possible. I'm never done being a student of this creative world and I have absolutely no idea what awaits me and Eryck Webb Graphics down the road!

Highlights and Noteables:

- My wife, Kristina, regularly works for the business doing copy editing and record keeping and has also moved into the world of digital coloring in Photoshop! I am very thrilled and excited to have my wife helping with the creative assembly line!

- Drawing Request Show now streams every Monday through Friday at 2 pm Eastern Time! Come out enjoy the show and grab a request!

- Opportunities open every week to meet new artists and get inspired in new directions creatively.

- The long-time trusty workhorse, Eryck's Wacom Intuos2 finally got replaced this year with an Intuos 5 (Intuos Pro) and its been an outstanding addition to the arsenal!

- Twitch inspired the desire to pursue figure sculpting. Eryck has enjoyed exploring sculpting stylized -cartoon figures with Super Sculpy based on techniques learned from fellow twitch streamers broadcasts. He is in the process of finishing his first one as this post is being written.

- This year was the first time doing competition-style artwork. Eryck entered a piece in the Last Guardian fanart contest on twitch and will find out if he won on any level later in December!

- Eryck Webb Graphics is also going to be represented in the Megadeth Christmas Card art contest as another attempt at a competitive art challenge.

- Eryck's interest in traditional artwork remains on the back burner but is always burning. Look for more traditional art pieces to be offered in the year to come.

Thanks for reading and here's to another year of unexpected surprises!

From Eryck Webb's family to yours, hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving. The mill will be closed all week until after Thanksgiving, at which time commission orders will resume and streaming will pick back up.

Be sure to take time this week, wherever you are, and give thanks for all that you do have and forget about everything you dont have. Be thankful for those in your life who care for you and that you in turn care for as well. The pets, the roof over our heads, the heat in your vents the water in your pipes and the sunshine and fall colors out your window.

As of this post, all art sent! Above drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 111 streamed on 11-18-16! Hope to see you at a live show when the stream returns in one week! Have a great Thanksgiving everyone and see you after Thanksgiving! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

As of this post, all art sent! Above drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 109 streamed on 11-16-16! It was a particularly good one, filled with some memorable moments for sure. Bonus giveaway, massive giveaway that had to be rerolled, a special 'Draw School' session and lots of epic drawings. Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebbWill update this post with some highlight videos later on.

Above drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 108 streamed on 11-15-16! I was on fire and in the zone. I did 11 drawings during this 3 and a half hour stream. I only managed to do 16 during monday's 8 hour stream. What the deuce? That means if I had kept this up yesterday I would have done at least 22 drawings? Insane. But there WAS one difference. Most of yesterdays were 15minutes or so. Today was a lot of fun and mostly 6minute drawings! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

Above drawings done during a special 8 hour Drawing Request Show episode 107 streamed on 11-14-16! This stream began 9am EST and ran until 530pmEST! 8 hours and 30 minutes roughly! Thanks to all who came out made it special, got me to 400 follows last week and heres to the next follower goal and the next batch of stream sketches! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

Also, check out this finale of the 8 hour stream. Final piece was this chibi won by TransparentCloud and a fun momentum-filled tune by The Outlaws also the chat was full of emote encouragement hype!

Above drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 106 streamed on 11-11-16! Thanks to all who came out made it special and heres to the next one! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

Above drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 105! Thanks to all who came out made it special and heres to the next one! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

All drawings sent! Above drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 104! Thanks to all who came out made it special and heres to the next one! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

All drawings sent via WHISPER tonight! Above drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 103 streamed on 11-7-16! Thanks to all who came out made it special and heres to the next one! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

Also check out this video highlight uploaded to EWG Youtube featuring a drawing of 'Vanna' 15min request for Lynxie! Enjoy! And see you at the next live stream!

All drawings sent! Above drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 102. Thanks to all who came out made it special and heres to the next one! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

All drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 101 streamed on 11-3-16! Thanks to all who came out made it special and heres to the next one! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

Video highlight uploaded to EWG Youtube featuring a return from hiatus intro and TMNTurkey warmup! Enjoy! And see you at the next live stream!

The EWG Pumpkin Hunt has concluded! Though I'm currently out of town, I will record and reward the discounts emailed when I get back. Also just a reminder that any submissions received after 5pmEST October 31st will not be honored. All winners have until the new year to use their discounts.

Happy Halloween from EWG! Just a quick announcement that there will be no Drawing Request Show or other related streams until at least Wednesday. Will be out of the studio for the next couple days.

The Pumpkin Hunt ends tonight so be sure to find those discounts to use on any future commission or request! Todays the last day. Will still be coordinating that via email when I get back, thanks to everyone who has enjoyed the hunt!

Will be out of town tending to family needs and will be back tentatively intime to stream / get back to work wednesday but will announce via twitter if this changes. Basicly playing it by ear adjusting as it goes. Thanks everyone for their support sorry for the inconvenience but this is something that just needs to happen right now. Thank you!

All drawings done during Drawing Request Show episode 100 streamed on 102816! Thanks to all who came out made it special and heres to the next one! Come out to the next show every M-F 2pmEST/EDT! Only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

Also, though the bulk of this stream was like you would regularly see on Drawing Request Show, the hype was at an all time high, had a lot of fun with the viewers in chat and also surprised everyone with a special giveaway! Sorry for the first 30 seconds and last 3 minutes of audio cutout due to Twitch muting the audio. Enjoy!

The HUNT is live!
The October 2016 Special: EWG's Pumpkin Hunt has begun! Put your eagle eyes to use and start browsing! The site is peppered with 6 spooky jack o' lanterns, each burning bright in a different color! Each one you find will award you $5 off ANY future Eryck Webb Graphics commission or ANY Drawing Request Show stream request. But they will not be easy to find and there is no guarantee that you'll find all six! Thats right, there are six pumpkins. That means you can find $30 in savings!

Getting Started
1. When you find a pumpkin, email its color and the title of the post you found it in to eryck@eryckwebbgraphics.com. You can send your finds together or individually.
2. Any pumpkins on ads and on logos do NOT apply. Pumpkins applicable for discount will have green leaves and no ring around it and it is not attached to an ad!
3. Have fun :)

Pumpkins
There are 6 jack o' lanterns to find. They are Red, Orange, Blue, Green, Pink and White.

Guidelines/ Rules:
* This special starts at 5 pm EST on 10/28/16 and ends at 5 pm EST on 10/31/16. Any entries submitted before or after this time period will not be honored.
* All submissions must be emailed to eryck@eryckwebbgraphics.com - no exceptions.
* The discount can be used on any character art, comic art, graphic design commission or stream request.
* One use per customer
* This discount cannot be shared. If you want to share this with a friend, do it now so they can earn their own discount.
* You must use the entire earned discount on 1 item.
* The pumpkins disappear in 2017 so you must use your discount before then.

What are you waiting for? They're out there NOW! Happy Hunting! And Happy Halloween from EWG!

Just a heads up, the Eryck Webb Graphics October special has arrived. This month, EWG is offering a special in the form of a Pumpkin Hunt! Everythings set to go live at 5pmEST today! Get your clicking finger ready to browse and hunt down these deals right here on the EWG website! Every Pumpkin found will be a cumulative $5 discount on any future EWG Commission purchase or DRS request!

Stay tuned for full details and number of pumpkins to be released when the Hunt goes live!

I drew this digital pencil piece on my trusty Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 tablet, with spen in the Autodesk Sketchbook Mobile app, while listening to JethroTull this evening. It is a good daily practice and fun way to unwind for the evening before bed. Gotta get art-brain ready for the work week.

It was also a bit of a sneak peak to those who came out and watched me draw it live on Twitch as to what is to come this week!

Eryck Webb Graphics is officially announcing a special for October, a Pumpkin hunt! The hunt will launch early Friday, October 28th 2016 and run until the end of the day on Halloween! (Tuesday, October 31st)

Every pumpkin you find gets you $5 off any future EWG commission OR a Drawing Request Show request! The total number of pumpkins will be announced at the launch of the hunt! This discount is only available in 2016 so be sure to make your request before you ring in the New Year! See you Friday for the launch of the hunt!

As of this post, all art sent! Thanks for a great friday stream and have an amazing weekend all! Todays Freaky Friday stream saw the take over of BoxHead who wielded the dark arts upon all the kiddies requestts. But towards the last half the chat banned together, filled the stream full of blazing fire-endowed emotes and BoxHead was cast out and Eryck returned. All was celebrated with a giveaway. And the viewers rejoiced.

See you at the next live stream every M-F at 2pmEST only at twitch.tv/eryckwebb

Heres a couple highlights if you missed the stream:

BoxHead takes over Drawing Request Show 101416
The Chat Bans Together in a Ring Of Fire and Defeats BoxHead

First of all thank you to the dozen folks or so who hungout shared this experience with me. Wow, all I can say this game was a pleasant surprise. So immersive and enveloping visually and via the ambient/ enhancing audio. Everything was based on cube-shapes but that did nothing but make it seem more surreal. About 6-7 (lost count) levels of puzzles and surreal comprehension of the world around you.

I won this game as a sub prize on LeFrenchStallion's stream as a random steam game giveaway and I couldn't be happier. I played it tonight as my first time ever playing past level one and it was entertaining and mysterious for the viewers it seemed like as much as it was suspenseful and exciting for me to play.

I beat it, it only took 2-1/2 hours to beat non stop but that was not without many many attempts. So i'd say its about 2 hours beginning to end if you really get through it smoothly. But if you get lost exploring and unlocking all the secrets I could see it taking much longer.

Great stuff, heres the replay if you missed it! If you have the chance to grab this cheapie game off steam, be sure to give it a go. One of the best gaming experiences ive had in years! So much worth the cost.

As halloween approaches, the dark arts will slowly take over the Eryck Webb Graphics mascot 'Dewd' and he will become the Dewd-O-Lantern - a wicked wielder of the dark arts! From his imagination and diabolical digital stylus he can wield any wicked creation into life including the dead!

From Drawing Request Show e86 on twitch! This end of week episode was filled with giveaways, and wheel spins and other fun things so not as many drawings were done as normal. But all these were a blast to draw regardless.

Drawings recap from Drawing Request Show and Upgrades Stream from e85 on 10-6-16As seen on http://twitch.tv/eryckwebb - Follow and come out to a future stream! Hope to see you soon!Also be sure to watch highlights and show recaps on the EWG YouTube channel

Drawings recap from Drawing Request Show and Upgrades Stream from e84 on 10-5-16
As seen on http://twitch.tv/eryckwebb - Follow and come out to a future stream! Hope to see you soon!
Also be sure to watch highlights and show recaps on the EWG YouTube channel

Drawings recap from Drawing Request Show and Upgrades Stream from e83 on 10-4-16
As seen on http://twitch.tv/eryckwebb - Follow and come out to a future stream! Hope to see you soon!
Also be sure to watch highlights and show recaps on the EWG YouTube channel

This is this morning's warmup to get geared up for today's chibi-only Drawing Request Show stream. Was also a gift art I wanted to give to LeFrenchStallion cause I'm hyped on all the chibi action this week and wanted to hook him up with one. Hes been nothing but supportive and encouraging to me since I began my adventure on Twitch, and hes one of the first pro creative streamers I discovered at that time. Always an inspiration and setting a standard for creative Twitch streamers everywhere. This gift chibi was the least that I could do.

This is also a break down of the process, from drawing/sketch to inks to colors. All the chibi orders received this week will go through that process. Each chibi takes about an 30min to finish give or take (per chibi). I put a lot into mine. I'm going to demo Chibi orders for folks who ordered via Drawing Request Show all day starting at 2pmEST! Come out to twitch.tv/eryckwebb and check it out. Will be inking/ coloring them ontop of the pencil drawing which will be a nice change for viewers hopefuly as well.